Only By Love
by Hunting For Love
Summary: Ricky was never a normal 17 year old. He lived in the foster home for most of his life along with his best friend Katie. Everything was as normal as it could be for the two foster kids until one day they both have the same dream from a mysterious mysterious people who claim to be their parents. According to them, they were the only way to save the love of the world. OC and original
1. I Ricky

**DISCLAIMER: MR. RICK RIORDAN IS THE GENIUS BEHIND THIS BOOK SERIES. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND SOME CHARACTERS.. SADLY.**

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Ricky was never a normal 17 year old. He lived in the foster home for most of his life along with his best friend Kate. Everything was as normal as it could be for the two foster kids until one day they both have the same dream from a mysterious woman who claimed to be their mother. According to her, they were the only way to save the love of the world.

_I opened my eyes. Everything was fuzzy for a while. I felt something soft beneath me. What the hell was going on? My body felt as if it was being stabbed by tiny pins and needles. I tried to tilt my head to the side but it was like I had no control over my body whatsoever. Slowly, my head fell to the side and my eyes were attacked by a gust of sand. Where did the sand come from? Gradually, I regained control over my body. I sat up halfway and checked my surroundings. There was sand everywhere because I was stuck on an island. It was a beautiful island too. At first it was pitch black, the only light coming from the stars. The horizon started to turn a mixture of yellow, orange, and red. The sun was about to come up which made the island even more beautiful than it was before._

_ "Amazing isn't it?" a voice echoed my thoughts. Immediately, I stood up only to be overcome by a flood of nausea. I sank to my knees, overwhelmed by the feeling. "Careful child. You have not fully recovered yet." I looked up and saw one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Her hair flowed freely along with the slight breeze. She wore a dress the only came down about mid-thigh. My breath hitched when I saw her eyes. Her eyes were the most mesmerizing thing. It was as if there was no set color. They kept changing as if they couldn't decide on which color to stay. Even though this woman was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, for some reason, I wasn't attracted to her in that way. It was more like I felt as if I should be protecting her from every danger that was around the corner._

_ As if she could read my thoughts, she laughed. It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. She sat down next to me and ran her hand through my hair like a mother would to her child. "You're just like your father," she said with a sad look in her eyes. "He wanted to give me the whole world, and with his money, he probably could've."_

_ I gazed at the water in front of us. "I never really knew my father. He died when I was very young," I murmured. Not many people knew my father. Well, he never allowed anyone to get close from what I heard. She kept on running her hand through my hair and I cherished the feeling. According to the foster home, my mother abandoned us. I never had parents really. _

_ "Your father was very loving and passionate, but he was broken inside. He had been used by people so much. When I met him, he was pushing everyone away, including me. Once he let me in, I instantly fell in love with him. He was very kind, compassionate, and loving. He wasn't a fighter but he fought for what he loved. Family was one of the most important things to him." I closed my eyes. This wasn't the man that everyone else told me about. When people would tell me about my father, I imagined him as a horrible person. Someone who didn't care about what was wrong in the world. Someone who only cared for himself. She continued, "He was also a very handsome man. He had dark auburn hair and dark grey eyes that pierced into your soul. His smile was the warmest thing and could light up the whole room. When he spoke he had a strong British accent and he didn't even attempt to hide it," she looked at me. "Very much like you. You're the spitting image of your father."_

_ This woman knew so much about my father. I believed everything she said even though we just met. She wouldn't lie to me. Something occurred to me. I didn't even know this woman's name. I was about to ask her when she said, "My name is not important. I have an important message for you." She stopped running her hand through my hair and I longed for her touch once again. "I have an important message for you. You must go to camp where you belong. Go on a quest to save your siblings."_

_ This confused me. "But I'm an only child. I don't have any siblings. What camp are you talking about?"My brain hurt. She looked into my eyes._

_ "There is no time to explain, my love. Take whoever you want with you on the way to the camp. But let me warn you, it will be dangerous. I'll send some help for you when you wake up," she handed me a pink rose. "Give this to a person at the camp named Chiron. He'll know what it means. You're the only hope for the world now." She got up and started to walk away._

_ "Wait!" I yelled at her. "Who are you?"_

_ She looked back and smiled warmly at me. "I'm your mother."_

_Then I woke up.  
_

I opened my eyes only to find myself back at the foster home. _One hell of a dream_, I thought. My hand instinctively ran through my hair. There was something in it. I shook my head and out came…Sand? So the dream was real. I sat on the edge of my bed and put my head in my hands. I looked around my room. My room wasn't much. Plain white walls, a bed, one little excuse for a nightstand, and a little closet. I glanced over my nightstand as I usually do in the morning to check the time and there was the rose. At first it surprised me, but then I realized if the dream was real, then my mother was real and very much alive. She had also told me to do something. I forgot what it was. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was fully awake.

When I looked back at the side table, the rose was still there. There was a tapping at my window and I saw the whitest dove I'd ever seen. I opened the window and the dove came inside. In its beak was a note. I grabbed the note and the dove flew away. I sat back down on my bed and opened the note. The note smelled as if it was dipped in perfume. It was overpowering. I sneezed. The note said:

Camp Half Blood

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800)-009-0009

I picked up the rose and read the note over and over again. I shrugged. _What the hell?_, I thought. Might as well go. It's not as if I was doing anything now. In the dream, my mother (I have to get used to saying that) said that it was a very important thin that I go to camp. _Well, guess I better start packing._

Good thing is, I didn't have much to pack. All I basically had was a couple of clothes and some spare cash. Bad thing is, I live all the way in Washington State. How the hell was I supposed to get all the way to New York with about $20? I guess I could drive but I don't have a car. I thought about it for a while and gave up. I'll just wing it. Whenever I make plans it never works out anyways. Another problem: How was I supposed to sneak past the new foster home lady? The old foster lady had been replaced just a few days ago and was replaced by a younger woman who looked like she was in her 20's. She was beautiful, but pretty creepy. _Oh well, _I thought. I'll deal with that stuff later.

I grabbed my ring off the nightstand and put it on. It was a family heirloom and the last thing I had from my father. I didn't really know him, but I could at least keep the tradition going of passing it onto the firstborn son. It felt as if my father was with me when I wore the ring. When I was a kid, I dreamed that my dad was still alive and he was just missing. I had hoped that maybe one day we would meet again. Then I grew up.

There was a sharp knock at my door. "Hey Ricky! Get your lazy ass out of bed!" That would be my best friend Katie. She's been with the foster home almost as long as I've been here. She showed up about a month after I did. We basically grew up together. People always thought we were dating because we were around each other all the time. They got it wrong though. It's just that we grew up not trusting other people. We've been hurt way too much. She had me and I had her. That's how it was. I heard her sigh outside my door in exasperation. "Fine. Don't open the door. I'm coming in anyways."

She sat down next to next to me with her head down and twiddled her thumbs. Katie usually wouldn't shut up but now she was really quiet. "Hey what's wrong?" I asked her. She looked up at me smiling but with tears in her eyes. "Uhhh, happy tears?" Like every other teenage guy, I wasn't very good at deciphering teenage girl emotions.

"I had a dream last night. I know it was just a dream but in my dream there was this man. He told me a bunch of things about my mother. Stuff that I already knew and stuff that I didn't know. He didn't tell me his name but he said that he was my father. He also said that I was supposed to go to this camp and help you with something. Apparently you know what this is. I know I sound crazy but-"

"You don't sound crazy," I told her. "I had a dream too. There was this woman and she told me about my father. I'm supposedly the spitting image of my father. She gave me some instructions. She said to go to this camp and to talk to this guy named Chiron. Apparently I'm the only hope for the world now."

Katie started laughing. I looked at her like she was crazy. I mean, Katie was my best friend and all, but sometimes she could be a little loopy. "You've got to be kidding," she said in between her short bursts of laughter. "You? Save the world?"

"I don't see the problem with that."

She laughed. "Kay," She looked beside her and noticed my backpack. "You planning on going somewhere?" I handed her the note and waited for her to say something. "So this is where we're headed?"

"Wait a minute, we?"

"Yes we. I'm not letting you go alone. Plus you probably couldn't survive without me anyways." She smirked. That was probably true too. Katie basically took care of me my whole life even though I was a year older than her. I guess it's true about how girls mature faster than guys.

"Fine," I replied. She did a little victory dance and left to go pack her things. Not soon after, I heard an ear-piercing shriek. I'd heard it before. It was Katie. I grabbed my knife from the drawer of my night table. The knife was also a family heirloom. It was sort of this bonze looking color. Sometimes I swear I could see it glow. I never thought that I'd actually need it. Thanks Dad. I guess. I hoped it would work this time. I had been mugged before and I pulled out the knife. I also attempted to stab the mugger, but nothing happened. It was as if it just went right through him. The mugger thought it was useless so they just left it. Can't say the same about my money though.

Katie's door was broken down and I saw some weird thing in the middle of her room. Katie was backed up to the wall farthest from me. The creature hadn't seen me yet so I had an advantage. Katie's eyes widened when she saw the knife and me. I raised my finger up to my lips, silently telling her to keep quiet about what I was doing.

Slowly, I got closer to the creature. What was this thing? It wasn't human I knew that. Whatever it was, it had a huge orange paw and a leathery, scorpion like tail with spikes at the tip. The tail was waving back and forth behind it so I couldn't get that close to it. The thing raised its paw and prepared to hit her. I saw Katie try to get farther from it but she was basically part of the wall by now.

Before I could think about what I was doing, I raised my arm and stabbed the thing in its back. Thankfully, it worked. For some reason, my brain couldn't register the fact that it was thrashing all over the place, so I didn't let go of the knife. Instead I held on for my dear life. The monster was thrashing so fast that I didn't even know we were headed towards the window until we fell through it. I heard Katie scream after me.

The foster home wasn't very high up. It was only about 5 stories. Since Katie and I had been at the foster home the longest, we got the top floor all to ourselves. Usually, I'm happy about that, me being a private person and all. But now that I was plunging to my death, I suddenly regretted taking up the offer to stay at the very top of the building.

As we both fell, I thought I would see my life flash before my eyes, like in the movies. No such luck. It was a very windy day today and all I felt was the harsh wind hitting my face. I didn't even see the ground until it hit me smack in the face. I shut my eyes and everything went black.

I tried opening my eyes and only saw things in flashes. The beast evaporated into gold dust. I saw black again. Slowly, I tried to move. There was a loud crack and I couldn't even hear myself scream. Everything was muffled. I collapsed back onto the asphalt. Car screeched to a stop before they could hit me. Katie ran out the door and ran to my side. I could feel the darkness creeping up on me, telling me to give in but I wouldn't. I had a job to do.

"Somebody call 911!" I felt Kate try to help me up. A sharp pain spread through my ankle and wrist. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the woman that was in my dream. My mom! Even though she was across the street and everyone was yelling, I could still hear her voice as clear as anything.

_Don't let them take you, my son. They will find you at the hospital. You must leave now. Take your friend with you. You both are our only hope now._ I blinked and she was gone. Katie froze as if she heard it too. She grabbed my arm and I winced from the pain. Note to self: never jump out of a building, no matter what the circumstances.

"Come on Ricky. We have to go." Katie pulled me up to my feet and I would've collapsed but Kate had her 'you-better-listen-to-me-or-you'll-regret-it-later' voice so I managed. Everyone was running around panicking because some kid had apparently dropped from the sky. News vans pulled up and set up their stuff. No one really paid attention though. They were all too busy updating their social networking sites about it instead of actually helping out.

Katie and I were able to get past them easily. As we passed by one of the news vans, I heard one of the reporters say my name so I told Kate to stop so we could listen. We hid behind one of the trashcans and heard them say, "This just in, 17-year-old Roderick Blake, broke into a foster home and steal from those poor orphans. Police are on the lookout for him. He is about 5'9, dark auburn hair, dark grey eyes. His British accent will be very noticeable. He is currently wearing a white shirt and black pants." The reporter put their finger on their earpiece. "It seems as if he has an accomplice! Witnesses say that a 16-year-old girl name Katherine Mercer willingly allowed him to come inside. Be on the lookout for her too. About 5'7, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes. They are both wearing similar things. Be on the lookout. Lock your doors and shut the blinds. This is Jimmy Lockwood reporting to you live from Seattle, Washington."

"What the hell?" Katie exclaimed. "Did they not notice the fact that a frickin beast was in my room?" She was about to go on and on, ranting about how they were wrong until a cameraman heard us and pointed the camera in our direction.

"I found them!" he yelled to everyone. People came rushing in our direction. They didn't even notice the police officers that were yelling at them to get out of the way. We were stuck. Behind us was an ally with a dead end and in front of us was a huge mob of people filled with police.

"Psssst," came a voice. "Over here." Katie and I turned around and saw a figure in the shadows. I saw that it had horns and brought my knife out, thinking it was another monster.

There was a loud screaming from the crowd. A police officer came out of the front of the crowd with his hands up. He approached us slowly. "Hey kid. We don't want any trouble here so just put the gun down." A gun? This was a joke right?

_Don't say anything. They'll think you're lying. Go with the person in the alley. He's there to help, _said Mom. Assuming Katie also had a little talk with her father, I backed up slowly. All of a sudden, this god-awful music started playing. It sounded like pipes or something. I turned around and saw that the figure was playing music.

"Is now really the time?" I yelled at him.

Katie tapped my shoulder and pointed to the crowd. "Look." The crowd was wandering all over the place with confused faces. I saw a couple people run into walls. A hand grabbed both of our shoulders and I almost yelled in pain. Whoever that person was, dragged us to the back of the alley.

"Who are you?" asked Katie. That's not the question I was going to ask, but Katie's sounded better than what I was about to say.

"What's up with your head dude?" They both gave me a look. He looked at Katie as if he was asking 'Is he always like this?' Katie nodded. "Hey!" I protested. "I'm standing right here."

"We didn't say anything," Katie said

"But you were having a silent conversation."

Before we could begin arguing, the guy interjected. "The name is Rondale. I'll explain everything inside." He pointed at the wall. I looked at Kate and she looked at me. We thought the same thing. Is this guy crazy?

He smirked at us and knocked this beat on the wall. A voice came from the inside, "PASSWORD?" Rondale's smirk faded.

"Open the door or I'll stick my pipes up your-" We heard a hiss and the wall slid open. I was shocked that I'd never noticed it. From Katie's face, she couldn't believe it either, but her expression changed back to neutral. We got good at that after the years. Hiding our emotions became easy. Rondale walked inside. "Well? You gonna stand there all day?"

Kate and I walked in. Inside was a whole bunch of weapons and battle plans spread everywhere. To the right side was a bunch of high tech computers that showed videos of the whole foster home. These people had been watching us for a while. To the left was a whole wall full of weapons. There were bows & arrows, swords, spears, armor, and more things. Right in the middle of the room was a large table. Around the table were two people working on some sort of plan. Behind us, the wall slid back into place.

"What is this place?" Kate said, awed by all the stuff.

"Welcome to the Camp Half-Blood safe house."


	2. II Ricky

**DISCLAIMER: MR. RICK RIORDAN IS THE GENIUS BEHIND THIS BOOK SERIES. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND SOME CHARACTERS.. SADLY.**

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Chapter Two

At the name of Camp Half-Blood, my ears perked up. "Camp Half-Blood? You guys are from Camp Half-Blood?" Everyone in the room besides Kate and me looked up at us.

"By the gods Rondale. We are meant to bring half-bloods to the safe house with the least damage as possible." Someone stepped out of a room that was hidden behind a bookshelf. It was a girl about Kate's age. She was beautiful. She was just a little bit taller than Kate and her hair was a dark jet black. Her eyes were what shocked me though. They were a deep green. "The name is Alexandra, but call me Alex. Daughter of Poseidon."

Katie's laughing brought me back to the world. "Poseidon? You've got to be joking. This is some sort of prank right?" No one was laughing though. "Katie's smile faded. "But the gods aren't real." There was a loud thundering from outside of the so-called safe house.

For a couple seconds Alex looked confused. "You guys haven't been claimed yet?" I looked at Katie and all of a sudden a wave of pain came over me. I hunched over and fell to the ground dragging Katie along with me. "Styx," I heard Alex say. "We'll talk about this later. Rondale, you're their protector. Go take them to the infirmary." And that was all I heard before I blacked out.

While I was out, I had another dream. I'm pretty sure it wasn't from my mother this time. I was in a dark room with a small light hanging above a small, rectangular little table with five people around it, four people on the sides and one man at the vey front of the table. The man at the front of the table was silent, just watching the others argue with each other. He had a square jaw and was wearing, what looked like a brand new suit while the others were wearing large pieces of armor. His hair was slicked back so much it looked as if a whole truckload of gel was put into it. He was actually quite scrawny, but he had an aura of power around him. He looked straight at me and I froze. But then he looked away and I realized, they couldn't see me.

I got closer and tried to focus on what they were seemed as if they were having a very serious conversation. One guy started pointing and the man across from him and then launched himself over the table and knocked the man to the ground. They started having a bloody fistfight.

The other two people were still engaged in their conversation, not paying attention to the reckless men fighting under them. "What are we supposed to do now that those two half-bloods have come out in the open? What if they come after us?" He asked the man at the head of the table. The man's fingers started twitching.

"Patience my friend. All is going as planned. Now that we know the location of the half-bloods, we can find them and put them with the others." The man replied calmly. "I don't believe they'll be much trouble."

"But they got rid of the manticore. Not many people can do that. On their first try too," the other man said. "Not even the great Percy Jackson."

"Yes, but that is when they are together. Apart, they are as normal as a half-blood could be. But there is a strong bond between them. We should have separated them when they were younger. As long as they are together, it will be impossible to capture them. We'll wait until they are separated, even for the slightest bit of time that they aren't together, and seize the ? Good. Meeting adjourned." The head of the table started to get up while the others waiting for him to go first. When the man was halfway out of the chair, he froze. "There's someone here. I can feel it." He sat back down and stayed still for a couple of seconds. Then he looked up at me and lunged at me with a sword.

I woke up with a jolt and realized that most of the pain was gone. Where was I? Sitting to my left was Katie who looked at me weirdly but with concern. "You okay?" I took of the covers and put my legs on the side of the bed. I attempted to get up, but only made it halfway to the door when I almost collapsed. Alex caught me before I fell and I could feel all the blood rush to my head.

"Easy there hero. You're not fully recovered." She brought me back to the bed and put me down. Alex left for a while, but then came back with a glass. She sat down next to me and helped me drink some. It tasted amazing. It made me feel all warm and tingly inside. Somehow, it tasted like the soup my dad made for me when I was three years old when I was sick. I don't know how I remembered it, but this drink tasted exactly like it. I started gulping it down until sadly, it was all gone.

"What was that?" I asked. "It was amazing." Alex just laughed and took out a baggie from her jacket pocket. It was full of these little cubes. She then proceeded to feed me them. For a while I forgot about everything. It was just she and I having our little moment.

"What you drank was nectar and what I'm feeding you right now is ambrosia. It's the food and drink of the gods." She said slowly. There was silence after that and I just enjoyed the fact that she was feeding me and actually cared for me. It made me forget all about the dream that I just had. Sooner than I would've liked, I finished all the ambrosia and she stopped feeding me. We kinda just sat and stared at each other for a while.

Then a cough interrupted us. Hesitantly, I looked to the side. Katie was still there watching us. I had completely forgotten about her. I saw a flicker of pain in her eyes, but then it disappeared. It was probably nothing. "So what's the plan?" Katie asked Alex.

"We stay here until further notice. We've already contacted the camp and they said they'd be here in a couple of days," Alex stated. Her voice captivated me and I couldn't help but listen when she talked. Her voice was so smooth and soothing.

"A couple of days? We can't do a couple of days, right Ricky?" She was coming to me for help? I all of a sudden got mad at Katie. Alex was here taking care of us and giving us a safe place to stay. Why was she being so rude?

I frowned at Katie. "Katie, ease up a bit. Stop being such a bitch. Alex is taking care of us." Katie looked hurt when I said that. For a second she let her guard down and I saw hurt and longing in her eyes. Then it disappeared when she put her mask back on. She looked angry but I knew she really wasn't. When you know someone as long as we've known each other, you can tell.

"It's fine." Alex said, trying to ease up the tension. She put her hand on my arm and I instantly relaxed. I could say the opposite for Katie. She looked at Alex's hand on my arm and then at me, giving me a look that said she was as pissed off as she could be. Alex then turned to Katie and gave her a blinding smile. "You know Katie you really don't have to stay. We're not forcing any of you to stay. In fact, you two could walk out that door right now and we can't stop you. But everything we're doing here is for your own good. You two are obviously new at this sort of thing. Now that you two know you're half-bloods, it's easier for them to track you. Easy for the monsters to find you. We're just trying to protect-"

"But we don't need your protection," Katie said loudly through gritted teeth. "Ricky and I have been protecting each other all these years and we're still alive. I bet we could make it for a couple more days." She grabbed my arm and tried to get me out of bed, but I yanked it free.

"I'm not going anywhere Katie. Can't you see the condition I'm in?" By now, we had everyone's attention. They stopped what they were doing and started to stare. The truth was I was actually feeling better, but I didn't want to leave Alex. I don't know why, but I felt like Alex needed me.

I could see the tears almost start to form in Katie's eyes. "Fine. Whatever." She walked over to the weapons and grabbed a knife. She also got a small pack and threw it over her shoulder and then she walked towards the door. I slowly got up and went after her. The door slid open and before she could leave, I grabbed her arm and made her face me.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. "Remember our promise when we were little? That we'd always stick together? What happened to that huh?" A single tear fell down her cheek.

"I could ask you the same question." I was shocked that she said that and let go of her arm. She then turned around, walked away, and never looked back while I just stood there, dumbfounded.

"Should I go after her?" Rondale asked. I wasn't sure if he was asking me, but even so, I didn't have a reply.

"No," said Alex. I turned around and stared at her. Was she just going to let Katie go? What happened to all that crap about protecting her? "She just needs a little time. It's a lot to take in. I did my first time I got to camp. Just give her a chance to sort everything out," Alex said as if she knew what I was thinking.

I nodded and said, "Okay. I'm just worried about her." I walked back to my little cot/bed thing and just sat on the edge. I ran my hand through my hair and thought about my mom. Surely she wouldn't get mad at me just because I was injured right?

Alex came up beside my bed and sat on the chair that Katie was on earlier. "So how long was I out?" I asked her.

"Oh not long. Just about a day." My head shot up when she said that.

"A day? Were my injuries really that bad?" She laughed at me. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. I wanted to make her laugh again.

"I'd consider that pretty lucky considering all your injuries. You were beaten up pretty bad. But Katie never left your side." I suddenly felt really bad about the way I talked to Katie and how I didn't even try that hard to stop her. "So what's your story with her? You guys a couple or something?"

"Me and Katie? A couple? Nah. People always assume that, but I don't think we'd be good together. We're like complete opposites."

"Well you know, that's how couples usually start. First they have nothing in common, then they start doing everything together and then they become inseparable."

I shook my head at her. "We've known each other for a long time. We don't like each other like that."

"You sure?" She said with her eyebrow raised.

I thought about it for a while. "Yeah I'm sure."

"So you gonna tell me the story between you two or am I gonna have to guess?"

I laughed. "I first met Katie when I was about four years old and she was three. I had just arrived at the foster home a couple months back and was starting to get used to it. Even at a young age I had to learn to fend for myself. Well when Katie first came, she was as shy as anything. She never talked and never looked at anyone. She just stayed cooped up in her room all day. One day, I decided to talk to her. Like I said, she didn't talk so I just stayed there with her and told her my story."

"Your story?"

"How I got to the foster home."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said politely. "I'd understand if you don't. I mean we just met and I'm asking you to tell me your life story." She giggled. I laughed along with her and I let my guard down.

"Well I don't really remember much of my story, seeing as I was about four years old when it happened, but I can tell you parts that I do remember. Sorry if I'm not clear enough. Some of the things are a little fuzzy." She waved it off and I continued, "My dad was a rich man once. I don't really remember how, but I remember that we lived in a huge house and we had a maid and a butler and all those rich people things. Well one day, I had just come home from my first day of preschool, and my dad wasn't there. He was called missing and the police searched for him for a couple of months until they gave up and said he was probably dead by now. He didn't have any other family so no one could take me in. I don't know what happened to the money. All that I have left of him is this ring on my finger and the dagger that I had when I walked in."

"Speaking of that dagger, did you know it was celestial bronze?" I gave her a confused look. Obviously I had no idea what it was. "It's one of the only things that can kill a monster, but only the gods and camp has access to it."

"Maybe my dad knew about my mom. She would've told him. I know it." She gave me a sad but reassuring look.

"I don't know Ricky. The gods don't usually care much for their mortal lovers. They just come down to hook up a little and then they leave once they're done." I shook my head in disbelief.

"No. My mom loved my dad. She would've told him." I refused to believe what she was telling me. I knew my mom loved my dad from the dream I had. Should I tell her about the dream? I'll tell her later…

"Okay," she said, giving up. "You gonna finish the story?"

"Alright. Well after I told Katie my story, she didn't say anything, but she did hug me. After that I went to her room to talk to her every day, hoping one day that she'll actually be able to trust me. One day, she actually did. I was about to leave her room when she said something."

"What did she say?" Alex said.

"I'll get to it if you stop interrupting me." She stuck her tongue out at me and I resumed the story. "She said that she was here because her mom was killed. What's weird was that her mom was killed the same day my dad went missing. I think Katie had it worse. She told me that she actually came home from daycare and saw her mom bleeding to death on the kitchen floor. Even at six years old Katie was pretty smart. Her mom had already taught her how to use a phone and who to call for emergencies. Katie found her mom's phone and called 911. They were all shocked that a little girl was able to do that and they thought that it was probably a joke, but they came anyways. By the time they arrived, they were too late. Her mom had passed away. They found Katie cradling her mom's head in her lap, crying her eyes out. Her grandmother was still alive so she stayed there for a couple of weeks until she passed away too. Then she was sent to the foster home."

"That's so sad," Alex murmured. "Then what happened?"

"Then from that day on, we decided that we'd take care of each other. She'd have my back and I'd have hers," I said softly. _Damn it, _I thought. _I should've gone after her. _"Together we learned how to mask our emotions. Not to trust anyone but each other. She's my best friend… And I should've gone after her!" I got up and punched the wall. Pain shot through my first but I didn't care.

I turned around and everyone was staring at the small indent I had made in the wall. "Damn boy! You've got to be pretty strong to make a dent in that steel," said a voice that I recognized as Rondale.

"He's right. That's some pretty hard stuff right there. That was also a perfect punch. How'd you learn how to do that?" Alex asked.

"I took every time of lessons there were. Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun, Boxing, Kick Boxing. Anything, just so I could protect myself and Katie. We have to go after her. Please," I begged Alex.

"I'll go with him!" volunteered Rondale. Alex pondered over it for a while and my heart raced. I made a decision. Even if she said no, I'd still go.

"Fine," she said. I cheered and fist bumped Rondale. "But I'm coming with you."

I laughed. "Can't get enough of me?" _Where the hell did that come from?_ She rolled her eyes and giggled

"Whatever pretty boy. You keep thinking that. Now come on. We have a rescue mission." She tossed me my dagger and surprisingly, I caught it by the hilt. Alex led the way out the door and we were back in the outside world.

It looked like the sun was just about to set. "Perfect," Alex muttered. "Monsters love coming out in the dark. Let's just keep going." Rondale and I followed her from behind. We walked in silence. Alex seemed different now. She was always alert and I saw her muscles tense at every single sound that broke the silence of the night.

I had an idea. "Whenever Katie wanted to think when we were younger, she would always sit on the bleachers at the old football field of the school." It was the middle of the summer so I doubt anyone would be there, but it was worth a shot.

"Alright. I don't know where that is so you should lead the way." I nodded at her and walked in the direction of the football field. When the football field was in our sights, I saw that one of the lights was on.

"That's weird," I said. "it's the middle of the summer and the sun just went down. Who could be here?" Alex tensed at my words and pulled something from her side that I hadn't noticed was there before. I don't know how I didn't notice, but it was a sword about arms length.

"Keep on the lookout," she said in a demanding voice. "Who knows what could be here?" I led them to the entrance of the actual football field itself and saw what the light was shining on.

There was Katie, and right behind her holding a knife at her neck was the man I had seen in my dream.


	3. III Ricky

**DISCLAIMER: MR. RICK RIORDAN IS THE GENIUS BEHIND THIS BOOK SERIES. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND SOME CHARACTERS.. SADLY.**

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Chapter Three

Well at least I thought it was the man. The sun had gone down and all that we could see was what the light was shining on. He was holding her captive right in the middle of the football field. How were we supposed to get there without him knowing?

"Well what do we have here? It took you long enough. If you didn't come when you did, I would've eaten your little girlfriend here. She looks delicious." I don't know what angered me more; the fact that he had already been waiting here for us or the fact that he took my Katie. _My Katie? Where the hell did that come from?_

"Let her go," I demanded, putting every single ounce of persuasion I had in my voice. I'm assuming he heard me because right when I said that, he reluctantly let her go. Katei dropped to the ground and curled up into a ball, shaking in fear.

The man's face was priceless. My mind must've been playing tricks on me because it seemed as if he didn't want to let her go. Like he was forced to. He suddenly had this blank look in his eyes as if in a trance. Again, I put every ounce of persuasion I had into my voice. "Now go walk away and don't stop until your feet start bleeding. Then keep on walking." Usually I would have never tortured a man like that, but he took Katie, one of the most important things in my life and that was just unacceptable.

He slowly and shakily turned around because he was fighting the urge to do what I said. For some reason, I could make him do anything I wanted. If the situation we were in weren't so serious, I probably would've made him do cartwheels or pat his head while rubbing his stomach. That would've made Katie laugh, which in turn, would make me laugh.

Once the man was out of sight, I ran straight to Katie. Nothing else mattered at the moment. I didn't even notice Alex and Rondale trying to catch up to me. By the time I got to Katie, tears were streaming down her face. Her face was covered in dirt and grime. I reached out to scoop her into my arms but once I was a couple inches away from her, she flinched. I stood there, shocked. She flinched which means that she thought I was going to hurt her. I mean I know a couple hours earlier we had fought, but she'd never once been scared of me before.

Alex and Rondale had finally caught up to me. They stared at me while I stared at the girl on the ground. She was still shaking and muttering to herself. Her hand was clutching something around her neck. Her mother's necklace. Whenever she was deathly scared of something or she felt lonely, she would always hold that necklace. Once she told me that she could feel her mother with her.

"What the hell are you doing just standing there?" Alex snapped at me, which brought me back from my thoughts. Slowly she approached Katie and once again Katie flinched. Alex rose up both of her hands as she slowly started towards her again as if to show that we were the good guys. Katie let Alex get closer to her than she let me get close.

At first I though Katie was shaking from fear, and I'm pretty sure most of the shaking was because of that, but then I noticed that it was freezing cold outside. I'd been too focused on trying to find her that I didn't even notice. Rondale noticed though so he handed Alex his coat and she draped it over her. I was still standing there like an idiot not knowing what to do.

Katie shakily stood up and almost fell to the ground but Alex caught her before that could happen. She dragged Katie by the elbow and started to head back to the safe house. Rondale followed silently. I stared down at my feet and started to follow them but my mind was elsewhere. I kept walking until I bumped into a very annoyed Rondale.

"Watch where you're going man." He looked at me like there was something was out of the ordinary. Like I was something out of the ordinary.

"Sorry…" I mumbled. I looked up at Katie and Alex. Even though were were a little far from them, I could still see Katie shaking like a leaf. I could tell that she was trying hard not to break down. The only other time I'd seen her like this before was when her close friend at the foster home was murdered.

When we finally caught up to them, I noticed that they had abruptly stopped talking. Guess it was something that didn't need to be shared. I'd have to ask Alex about that later seeing as Katie isn't in the best condition. We all walked together in silence until we made it to a crosswalk. All of a sudden, this random black car pulled up. It had tinted windows so I couldn't see who was in it until they rolled it down.

"I was sent here by the boy's mother," he said monotonously. I froze in shock. My mother? Was this some sort of trick? I'd been in trouble before and she never sent help then. Why now?

They all looked at me as if to say, "is it safe?". I shrugged and opened the door, motioning them to get in. Rondale sat in the front of the car with the mysterious man and Alex, Katie, and I sat in the back. We drove with nothing but the pitter-patter of the rain to break the silence. Alex was staring out the window and Rondale was sitting in the front, giving me weird looks through the side view mirror. I pushed it off. He was probably just trying to see if I'd break down, and I probably would've, but Katie was unstable and if I broke down she'd become even worse.

Soon enough Katie fell asleep, and she deserved it. I bet she'd been through a lot today. There was that guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach. _If you had gone after her once she ran off, maybe this wouldn't have happened. _Shut up, I told myself. Great… Now I'm talking to myself.

Katie's head slowly rolled onto my shoulder and I adjusted myself so that she was comfortable. I at least owed her that. Looking at her, I almost smiled. Even though she had dirt all over her face, small cuts, and her hair was everywhere, she still managed to make it look good. I looked at her sleeping next to me and then looked out the window and thought to myself, "What would I have done without her?" I gritted my teeth. I almost lost her today. A small strand of hair fell onto her face and I moved it away from her beautiful face. Let it be known that today is the day I swear to let nothing ever happen to you.

"We're here…" the driver said. I was thinking about waking up Katie myself, but considering her reaction to me earlier, I thought it was best I shouldn't. Alex looked over at me and then at Katie, silently asking if she should wake her up. I nodded. Alex slowly touched her arm and Katie woke with a start. She noticed that she had been leaning on me and quickly sat up straight.

Seeing as I was the person with the window seat, I had to get out first. But when I was just about to get out of the car, I had a bad feeling. I brushed it off and got out. All of a sudden, the doors closed and the car speedily drove away. I tried to run after it, but a dozen of guards came out of nowhere and dragged me inside this huge mansion that I hadn't noticed before because of my worrying about Katie.

Once inside, this amazing aroma attacked me. It was the same aroma that came off the rose that my mother had given to me. The guards took me into this extravagant room. It looked like one of those old fashioned mansions that only the richest people had. It looked a lot like my old house as a kid.

The guards shoved me onto a couch and left the room, locking the doors behind them. I was thinking about snooping around, trying to figure out where I was, but then I remember all those movies that Katie and I had watched. Every time the one of the supporting characters snooped around, they usually ended up going missing or dead so I decided not to.

Behind me, there was the sound of a door opening. Despite me telling my feet not to get up, they did anyways. I turned around and saw… My mother.


End file.
